


The Divorce

by thomasjeffersonsmacaroni



Series: The Other 51 [8]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-08-30 15:45:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8538859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thomasjeffersonsmacaroni/pseuds/thomasjeffersonsmacaroni
Summary: Aaron Burr was being a lawyer and longing for his dead wife. That's when Miss Maria Reynolds walked into his life. She said:"Will you help me divorce my husband, James?"





	1. My Husband James

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Laila221b](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laila221b/gifts).



> Inspired by this amazing fanart: lailamy.tumblr.com/post/152221473109

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!

_Lawyer's signature,_ the bottom of the form on the desk read, and Aaron Burr signed his own name in a flourish for what was probably the tenth time that day. What was the purpose behind signatures, anyway? They were tedious and boring, and identity could easily be verified by other means in modern times. He was thinking about this as he scanned the form to fax it, and that was when he heard the bell above his door ding, signaling the entrance of someone into his office.

Aaron looked up. The person was a young woman with dark skin and long hair, and she was wearing jeans and a red turtleneck sweater that looked as if it was too thin for the freezing weather outside. It showed, because she was shivering as she stepped inside and walked over to his desk.

"Is this Aaron Burr Law?" she asked as she looked over at him.

"Yes," said Aaron. "Do you have an appointment?"

The woman shook her head. "No, I don't. Should I leave and then come back when I've made one?"

Aaron looked her up and down; she was still shivering, and she looked as if she wanted desperately for him to say no. So he obliged her.

"I don't want you to be out there in that freezing cold," he said. "Why don't you go back into my office and make yourself some hot coffee, and I'll be with you as soon as I'm done with this."

She looked somewhat nervous, but she went back, and he heard his coffee grinder running as he finished faxing the form, which took a longer time than he expected because of some sort of technological complication. As soon as both were done, and she was sipping from a mug on coffee that looked as if she had poured in more creamer than was required, Aaron leaned forward and began to talk.

"What's your name?" he asked, just as he usually did.

"Maria. Maria Reynolds." Maria pronounced her first name like Ma-rye-ah, and she said it with a sort of pride, but the last name Reynolds tasted in her mouth like bile.

 _Maria Reynolds. That sounds familiar. I'll have to look her up later._ "What do you need me for?"

"I need to divorce my husband James and put him in prison. I heard that you were a good lawyer. One of the best. Will you help me?"

"The divorce will be easier," Aaron explained to her, "maybe harder if you want custody of your belongings. May I ask why you want him in prison?"

At this she shook even harder in her seat, almost spilling her coffee in the process. "He...he abuses me. Emotionally and physically. He makes me feel awful and unsafe. But if putting him in prison is too much trouble for you, then that's okay. I just want to get away from him." Maria looked down at her feet, guilt visible on her face.

"No," said Aaron in consolation. "If he abuses you physically, and we win the case, then we can put him into jail."

Maria looked surprised at the word "we," almost delighted, as if she reveled in being part of a group that was going to do things. "Okay. Thank you so much."

"No problem." Aaron reached into his desk, dug through his drawers, and pulled out a stack of forms, which he handed to her. "I'm going to need you to fill out all of these forms right now. We'll meet up at some point soon to discuss how we're going to do this. I think there's a spot for your phone number on one of these."

"Yes, sir." Maria took a pen from Aaron's desk and began to fill out the blanks, putting her mug on a nearby coaster as she did so.

"I'm not giving you my cell phone number," she explained, "because James tracks that, and I could be in danger if he finds out what I'm doing. The number I'm putting on here is the payphone of a supermarket that's close to my house. I'm friends with the woman that runs it."

"Okay," said Aaron. "Just call me as soon as possible on my work phone so that we can figure out a time to meet up. This is all I need from you for now, thank you for choosing Aaron Burr Law."

Maria nodded. "Thank you for helping me." She stood up and moved to leave, but Aaron held up a hand to stop her.

"Take my coat," he said, picking it up off of the rack. "I don't want you to freeze to death out there."

Maria hesitated, as if about to refuse, but then she nodded. "Thank you. You're too kind. I'll give it back when we meet up next."

"Of course."

As she was walking through the door, Maria turned around and gave him a small, shy smile, which Aaron returned without a second thought. She had a pretty smile, but it seemed rusty with disuse, as if her life didn't give her too many reasons to be happy.

_I'll give her at least one if it's the last thing I do._

When Maria left, Aaron sat back down at his desk, opened his laptop, and Googled her name. The first suggestion that popped up after he typed in "maria reynolds" was "maria reynolds alexander hamilton," and, somewhat confused, he clicked on it.

_Maria Reynolds was involved in a sex scandal when Alexander Hamilton, former Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, cheated on his wife, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, with her and paid almost ten thousand dollars to her husband, James, to keep him from revealing anything. After James Monroe and Frederick Muhlenberg confronted him about check stubs that they found and accused him of embezzlement, he published a ninety-five page pamphlet about his affair. Since then, the Reynoldses has disappeared from the public eye, and it is unknown where they are right now._

Aaron stared at the Wikipedia page with awe. He remembered hearing something about this, actually; he had read the news articles while lying on his couch, dog asleep on his lap. Back then, he had been shocked, and he had thought of the Reynoldses as the shrewd, calculative, evil power couple, and of Maria as a beautiful seductress. This wasn't a seductress, though. This was just a helpless little girl in a too-thin sweater who wanted to divorce her abusive husband.

 _I'll tell her real story,_ he decided then and there.  _I'll give her_ two  _reasons to be happy, not just one._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> James Monroe and Frederick Muhlenberg actually confronted Alex about his affair IRL, and for this plot to work, I had to change things up a bit.


	2. Interviews

_Incoming call from: Maria Reynolds_

Aaron saw the name, unaccompanied by a contact photo, on the screen of his phone, which was by his side as he filed papers. He picked it up, pressed the Answer button, and held it to his ear with a shoulder so that he had both hands free to continue working.

"When are you free to meet up?" she asked him, speaking loudly to be heard over the distant grocery store chatter.

"After work today," he said. "Does six work for you? You can come to my office."

"Yeah, that works. Thank you so much."

"Hey, no problem. Also, can you bring your credit card or another method of payment? We need to work out money."

"All right."

At six promptly, which was the time when Aaron usually started to head back home, Maria stepped inside. She was wearing a green, thicker sweater this time and his coat over it, and she had a simple black purse hanging over one shoulder.

"Hello," he said, looking up at her. "Sit down, I'll bring out the coffee. You like it with more creamer, right?"

Maria nodded. "I don't like it when it's black."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ten minutes later, Aaron came out holding two mugs. He slid one to Maria and took a sip out of the other one, putting it on a coaster and sliding his chair over so that they were sitting on the same side of the desk.

"All right," he said, sweeping aside the papers that he had forgotten to put away. "My plan is to talk to any neighbors and friends you have that interact with you frequently so that they can testify that the way you act corresponds to your statement that your husband abuses you. Video evidence will definitely help, but it's not entirely necessary if it'll put you into more danger. I'm a good lawyer. I can do without."

"No," said Maria suddenly. "I can definitely bring you video evidence. I don't care if it puts me into danger, I need him away from me. Anything that can help you do that, I can do."

"Like I said," said Aaron, "I'm a good lawyer. I have one of the largest acquittal rates in the entire state. If it puts you into danger, then I don't want you to do it."

"I'll bring you the evidence," Maria insisted.

Aaron hesitated before speaking again. "Okay. Thank you, Maria. You're very brave."

Maria smiled again and looked down at her feet sheepishly.

Aaron continued. "As soon as you can, I'll need a list of friends and neighbors who see you and James frequently so that I can interview them."

"I'll have that to you by e-mail by tomorrow, do you need me to add phone numbers and e-mails and everything?"

"Yes, please. Thank you so much."

Maria nodded. "I brought my purse, too, so we can work out payment."

Aaron had forgotten about how he had asked her to bring his credit card. He nodded, brought out a piece of paper, and wrote  _Maria Reynolds_ at the top.

"Just write your information down here," he said. "I'll charge you fifty dollars down payment, and then it's a hundred dollars per hour, which I'll charge you after we're finished with our case."

The young woman looked surprised as she pulled out her wallet. "That's not a lot."

"No, it's not. I used to charge more, but then word about how good I am began to get around, and I got more clients, so I brought my rates down."

Maria nodded. "That makes sense. I don't think I could afford you if you cost more."

"I'm glad. When you file a case, you have the constitutional right to a lawyer, but those aren't usually as good as the ones you have to seek out. And this is a difficult case. I'd hate to see it fall to someone inexperienced."

"Mm-hmm."

Maria wrote her number down on the paper, using an American Express debit card as reference, then checked the time on her phone, which she pulled out from the back pocket of her jeans. "Oh, I have to go now. James will be home soon, and he hates it when I'm away and I don't tell him." She looked at Aaron knowingly, and he nodded understandingly.

"Thank you for coming here. Feel free to call me if you need anything at all."

"No, thank  _you._ I don't know where I would be without the hope you've given me."

Aaron looked down and smiled. "You're too kind. I'm just doing my job."

"Well, you're doing it right." Maria gave him one last wave and one last rare smile before leaving through the door.

 

The next morning, Aaron's phone buzzed with an e-mail from maria.s.reynolds@gmail.com, which had the subject line  _Neighbors and Friends_. When he opened it, there was a detailed, long master post, which at first glance had full names, phone numbers, e-mails, and tons of notes that Mrs. Reynolds claimed would help him win their favor. At the end was another  _Thank you so much_ and a stock signature that consisted of  _Yours truly_ and then her full name.

At second glance, when Aaron was reading through the lengthy e-mail while waiting for his toast to pop out, he was astonished by how much time and effort had obviously been put into it. It was what was referred to in certain circles as "Hamiltonian" with its length and detail, and although he would have assumed from what the media told him that young Maria was a mindless seductress, this was the work of an intelligent, non-stop woman whom history didn't do justice.

Aaron sighed.  _I_ _have to win this case. I_ have  _to._

All throughout his time at work, he contacted the people that were on the list (some preferred to be e-mailed, while some preferred to be called, and Maria had written it all down in the helpful notes) and scheduled interviews. While many were completely willing, claiming that Maria was a "very sweet girl" and they "had always suspected that something was going on," Maria had unfortunately selected some people who overwhelmingly favored James, claiming that he was "a nice fellow" who would never do such a thing, and that Maria was a cheating whore who was making these accusations for no reason. When he was finished, he sent Mrs. Reynolds a thank-you e-mail, and it was only then that he realized that he had forgotten to log the hours that he had spent on this particular case.

And it was then that he realized that he didn't care at all.


	3. Franklin

Weeks passed. Aaron was flooded with cases as always, murders and lawsuits and even a divorce or two, but he continued working tirelessly on Maria's, interviewing the many willing people that he had found. He was flooded with stories of neighbors hearing screams and name-calling and then finding Maria the next day with a new cut on her forehead, of tremors and pleas whenever she was swung at even jokingly, of  _every single one of the signs_ being there and yet being ignored. It made him angry to even think about it, and he found himself unable to relax because whenever he stepped away from his work, he felt himself fill up with an insatiable guilt.

And the worst thing was that even with all of these horror stories, and the fact that he had offered help with anything that he could, Maria was completely silent. Whenever he called to check up on her, she merely said that she was okay and that nothing important had happened, even though she still couldn't hide the tremor in her voice as she tried to hold back the tears that she obviously wanted to shed. One time, just before she had hung up, she had made a noise like a shriek that was cut short, and no matter how hard he tried, Aaron couldn't get that noise out of his head for the rest of the day.

That was Aaron's life, a blur of murdered shrieks and paperwork and anger. And then Maria Reynolds came into it again.

Her face was bruised and bleeding, hair let down in a feeble attempt at covering it all. Her soft brown eyes had tears streaming from them, so many that they even watered down the blood. Her red turtleneck sweater was torn, and when its sleeve slipped down her arm, Aaron could see that her skin was covered with bruises.

"What ha-"

"I have the videotape," she said in a breaking voice. She reached into her pocket and pulled out an SD card, which she slammed onto the desk in front of her, barely managing to hold her balance on shaky legs.

"Thank you," said Aaron, feeling somewhat guilty for not saying anything else. It was only as he stood up to put it into an evidence bag that he saw that she was also dragging behind her a black suitcase.

"Why do you have a suitcase?" he asked her.

Maria sighed. "I...I can't live with him anymore. I'm sorry, but I  _can't_. He hurt me really badly, and he said that he'd hurt me more if I didn't get out of the house. So I took some clothes and some money. I'm going to live on the streets." At this she slumped onto the floor and began to sob into her hands.

"No," said Aaron, standing up and going to her. "No, don't do that."

" _You don't understand!_ _"_ shrieked Maria through her tears. " _I can't go back to him! You'll never-_ "

Suddenly, she stopped, cutting herself off. The she wiped tears from her eyes with two fists, sniffled deeply, and looked up at him solemnly.

"I'm sorry," she said, voice stumbling over itself. "I'll go back to him if you need me to. I'll do that for you. I'm sorry." She sniffled again.

"No," murmured Aaron, squatting down so that he was on her level. "What I meant was, why are you going out onto the streets? Come with me. I'll take you in. You'll be okay, I promise."

Maria made a noise that sounded like a soft gasp. "You'd do that?"

"Of course. Let me get my keys and my papers, and we'll go home. We'll have to stop along the way at the grocery store for lunch. Are frozen chicken nuggets okay with you?"

"I'm a vegetarian," whispered Maria.

"Okay, then you'll have to go into the store with me, because I don't know my vegetarian products. All right?"

"All right."

"Go wash yourself up the best you can in my bathroom," said Aaron, giving her a hand up, "and then we'll go. Get some water if you need it."

"Thank you," said Maria softly, voice beginning to lose its fear and helplessness. "You're too kind to me. I don't deserve it."

"Yes, you do," said Aaron, packing his paperwork into his briefcase as Maria retreated into the bathroom. "You deserve every single bit of kindness that you get."

A couple of minutes later, both were ready, and Aaron led Maria into his simple black Honda out in the parking lot. She sat in the front passenger seat as he drove the ten-minute drive to the grocery store that was closest to the way home.

Once they were in the frozen food aisle, Aaron picked up his bag of chicken nuggets, and Maria chose a platter of various frozen vegetables. The transaction was quick, but Maria looked tense, and she didn't fully relax until they had arrive back to Aaron's apartment, and his dog came bounding up to greet them.

"Aaw, he's so cute!" Maria exclaimed in delight as he sniffed her hand. "What's his name?"

"Franklin," said Aaron. "Named after an old co-worker of mine. Go take a shower, and I'll bring clean clothes to you. They're my daughter's, and she's about your size, so they should fit."

Maria nodded, still smiling from her first encounter with Franklin. Aaron gave him an affectionate rub on the head then went to the kitchen to heat up their lunch and pour lemonade as Maria sang in the shower, a song that Aaron tried to place but couldn't. She had a good voice, he realized, and he found himself humming along as he watched the frozen foods cook. When she came out twenty minutes later, hair wrapped in a towel, wearing the clothes that he had brought out (they were a tiny bit too small on her, but overall, they suited her) and sat down at the table, he asked her what she had been singing.

"I don't know," she confessed, smiling. "It started as 'I Dreamed a Dream' from _Les Miz_ , and then it just sort of progressed into something else."

Aaron nodded understandingly. "I've never seen _Les Miz_. I guess now I'll have to."

"You  _do_ have to."

"All right, all right. Do you like any other musicals?"

Instantly, Maria's eyes lit up with excitement. "I  _love_ musicals! My favorite will always be _Les Miz_ , but I like  _Phantom of the Opera_ too, and  _West Side Story._ I once played Maria in a production at my school."

"I can see that. You're a good singer."

She looked down at her feet bashfully as she sat back down. "I used to be. But then James made me feel bad about my singing, so I stopped. He made me feel bad about  _everything._ That's why I left him."

Suddenly, her face screwed up in anger. "He told me that I was ugly and boring and that I was lucky that he loved me. And I slowly started to believe it. And...he hit me, too, if I didn't do what he told me to. When he told me to give up my dreams, I did. When he told me to stay away from my friends, I did. When he told me to stay away from my family, I did. When he told me to seduce Alexander Hamilton, the married Secretary of Treasury...I did."

"He  _told_ you to seduce him?" Aaron asked, putting down his lemonade and looking at her in shock, the discrepancy between what the media had told him and what he actually saw in the young girl widening and widening.

"Yeah. I don't think I ever really loved Hamilton. All of the ladies did, he had that kind of reputation, but I didn't. I  _hated_ him, during that year and after. Almost as much as I hated James."

Maria sighed deeply. "And now he's gone, run back to his wife and kids. And I'm all alone. I'll always be alone."

Aaron placed a hand on hers as she stared down at her lemonade glass. "You have me. As long as I'm alive, I'll be with you. I promise that. We can be alone together."

Maria looked over at him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I would have thought that you would have lots of friends."

"Not really. My friends mainly came from my wife's social circle, and when she died, I sort of shut down. Distanced myself from them in my grief. My only friend at that point was my eleven-year-old daughter, I'm going to be honest with you. And even  _she_ called me a lot when she first came to college, but then she sort of stopped. I tell myself that she's probably too busy, but something inside me says that she doesn't love me anymore."

Aaron closed his eyes and then slowly opened them. "And as for Hamilton, I wanted to be friends with him, more than I wanted anything else. But I guess I missed my chance. While he and that group of his were off starting revolutions with their ideas, I was lying in wait and keeping my ideas hidden, even though I had as many as they did. If I could go back right now and change that, then I would, and I wouldn't even think twice."

"Maybe Hamilton and I could be friends," sighed Maria, "in a different life and in a different time. He's smart, and he seems to care about his friends. But I hate him now, and I don't think I'll ever stop."

"I understand."

And after that they said nothing more, food long forgotten on the table, only held hands in support and solidarity for two lonely people. And it was in that moment that Aaron knew that Maria Lewis Reynolds had made the jump from his client to the first friend he'd had in a long, long time.


	4. The Hamiltons

The next day, a Saturday, Aaron woke up to the smell of something delicious cooking from the kitchen. He followed it and saw Maria, hair in a bun, flipping pancakes and humming a tune to herself.

"Maria," Aaron greeted her with a smile. "Good morning."

She turned around. "Oh, good morning. Sorry, I kind of took over your kitchen. I was hungry."

"Oh, no, it’s fine. I love pancakes. What song was _that?"_

"That was ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift. She’s kind of my guilty pleasure." She laughed, and Aaron laughed along with her as he went to the drawer that contained the forks and knives and got out two of each.

"Hey, Maria," he said as he got the coffee beans out.

"What?"

"Do you know ‘A Whole New World’ from _Aladdin?"_

"Of course I know ‘A Whole New World’ from _Aladdin._ Why?"

Aaron cleared his throat, set the beans down, and burst out into song.

" _I can show you the world. Shining, shimmering, splendid. Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?"_

Maria burst out into giggles, and when it was time for the female part, she held the pancake flipper like a microphone and began to sing. Over breakfast, the duo sang other Disney songs, and after they finished their food and as they loaded the dishwasher, they kept going, occasionally using Franklin as a prop.

"That was the best I’ve felt for a long time," Maria confessed to Aaron as she went to the guest bathroom to brush her teeth. "Thank you for that."

"Any time."

 

"Hey, can I use your computer?" Maria asked at one point.

Aaron was reading a book, and he looked up and nodded. "Yeah, of course. The password is Franklin with a capital F and an exclamation mark at the end."

"Your pet’s name?" Maria smiled.

"I know, it’s dumb. But it’s not like hackers are going to steal my information or anything. And hey, it has an _exclamation mark_ at the end."

"Wow, an _exclamation mark._ Thanks so much."

Maria retreated into the computer room, only coming out occasionally to get snacks or take a small break and play with Franklin.

"What are you _doing_ in there?" Aaron asked her at one point.

"Working on my degree," she said nonchalantly. "I was getting a journalism degree online, but James made me stop because apparently it was distracting me from what was really important. And by ‘what was really important’ I mean _him._ "

"A journalism degree," said Aaron in admiration. "Good luck. How are you doing? Are you almost done?"

"Mm-hmm. I just need to finish a couple of lessons, and then I’ll need to find a six-month internship. And then I’ll be a _college graduate,_ Aaron, can you imagine?"

"I _can_ imagine." Aaron gave her a wide grin. "You’re a smart girl, Maria. I know you’ll shine."

Maria smiled sheepishly. "Thank you."

 

"You should get back in touch with your daughter."

Maria said this nonchalantly after dinner, while she was working on a lesson using Aaron’s laptop and Aaron was in the corner transcribing an interview that he had recorded on his phone.

He almost dropped his pen in shock. "What?"

"I said, you should get back in touch with your daughter. It sounds like you miss her."

"’Ria, she was the one who stopped talking to me. I really don’t think that she wants to get back in touch."

"Well, it’s worth a try. Go on, call her. I’ll be here."

"Okay, fine. But just once. And if she doesn’t pick up, then I’m not trying again."

"I won’t force you to," said Maria. She put the laptop away and leaned back against the couch as Aaron picked up his phone and dialed the familiar number.

Three rings, each one more haunting than the other. And then, nothing.

"Hi, Dad."

Such a simple greeting. Two such simple words. But Aaron hadn’t heard them in such a long time, so they practically moved him to tears.

"Hey, Theo. How have you been?"

"I’ve been great. School’s going fine, I’m making friends. Oh, Dad, something funny happened today. I think you’d like to hear about it."

"I’d love to."

Aaron smiled at Maria, and she smiled back.

Theo continued to tell him about the antics of her classmates, and Aaron told her about his co-workers and clients, and neither of them addressed the elephant in the room, but perhaps it was one of those things that didn’t need to be addressed. Not yet, anyway.

"Listen, Dad, I just wanted to apologize. For falling out of touch. The thing is…I have a boyfriend."

"A boyfriend? Theo, that’s great! I’d love to meet him. And I completely understand. I’m sorry, too."

"I didn’t think you’d like him, and I was always too scared to break the news. And I guess that kind of translated into avoiding you in my mind. Whatever it is, I’m sorry."

"I’d _love_ your boyfriend, whoever he is. What’s his name?"

"Philip Hamilton."

_Philip Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton’s son._

"Theo, of _course_ I don’t hate him. And I _most certainly_ don’t hate you."

"But I thought you hated Alexander Hamilton."

"I thought I did, too. But I don’t think so, now. You know you can force me to get along with _anyone_ if you’re dating their child."

"Okay," said Theo. "Do you want to hear about Philip?"

"Of _course_ I want to hear about Philip. Tell me all about him."

As Theo spoke, Aaron’s grin grew wider and wider as he looked at Maria, and Maria smiled back with the same exact excitement.

"See what happens when you don’t wait for it?" she asked him when they finally hung up after what, according to the call log, was an hour and a half. "What was it that Hamilton said? ‘I am not throwing away my shot’?"

"I’m going to follow that from now on," Aaron decided.

"You do that. I’m always proud of you, you know."

"I know. I’m proud of you, too."

 

"Alexander Hamilton is coming back to New York."

Maria read this from her phone during one of her rare breaks, while they were in the living room relaxing.

Aaron looked up from his book. "That’s interesting."

"Didn’t you want to become friends with him? Well, now’s your chance. Invite him out to dinner. Or to a movie. Or to our house, while I’m gone. Or-"

For some reason, she cut herself off. "Well, you get the idea."

"What if he doesn’t want to be friends with me, though?" Aaron asked her. "I mean, I don’t think he likes me that much."

"No, he doesn’t," said Maria. "But he’s going to have to learn. Your daughter _is_ dating his son, after all. Now’s your time to start developing a civil relationship. And besides, you said that you weren’t throwing away your shot. _This_ is your shot. What are you going to do with it?"

Aaron looked at her. Then he sighed. "Take it."

He picked up his phone and dug through his contacts until he found the one labelled _Alexander Hamilton._ Then, he called it. It went straight to voicemail.

"Hello, you’ve reached Alexander Hamilton. If this is any of my friends, then text me or leave a message, and I’ll find it later. If this is Eliza, yes, I picked up the groceries, and I love you, too. If this is Pip, then I’ll call you back, and of course, I want to hear about how college is treating you. Tell me later. If this is Jefferson…fuck off. I’m not asking you again. Leave a message after the beep unless you’re Jefferson."

"Hey, this is Aaron. Aaron Burr. I heard that you were going back to New York, and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to meet up and chat over coffee or something. I know we have a lot to catch up on, and I’d love to see you again. You know the number, call me back. Or don’t. It’s up to you. Anyway, bye."

When he pressed the hang up button, he was panting, and Maria looked at him quizzically.

"It’s going to be okay," she said encouragingly. "I promise."

It was okay; later in the evening, Aaron got a text that said: _I’d love to meet up. Is Saturday noon at Zaro’s cool?_

 _Yes, can’t wait to see you again,_ Aaron texted back, squealing slightly with excitement.

"Maybe we’ll finally get along," he told Maria, eyes lit up and face split into a grin.

"Yes, maybe you will."

 

"Aaron Burr! I haven’t seen you in forever!"

Alexander Hamilton had already claimed a table for two when Aaron came in, dressed in clothes that could be best described as dressy casual. Alexander looked delighted to see him, not at all nervous, and Aaron couldn’t help but wonder if this was all a bluff or something.

It wasn’t.

"So, tell me, how’ve you been? How’s life?"

"Life’s life. I’ve got a new client with an abusive husband and she’s moved in with me to escape him. She’s kinda changed my life around, honestly. She made me reconnect with my daughter."  _And she made me reconnect with you._

"I’m glad. Did you know that she’s dating my Philip?"

"Yeah, she told me. She was nervous about my disapproval because we hate each other."

"We hate each other?" Alexander asked. "I think we _used to_ hate each other. I don’t think we ever made amends for that, by the way. I’d like to apologize for all of the ways in which I’ve wronged you."

"So would I," said Aaron. The two men shook hands and clapped each other on the backs.

And just like that, it was over, and all of the hatred that might have ever existed was gone.

"Anyway," said Alexander, "now that we don’t hate each other, I want to tell you about this racist intern in the office in DC where I work now. His name is Charles Lee, and he’s a little piece of shit who thinks that I’m somehow less competent because I’m an immigrant, even though he’s, like, the least competent person I know. Yesterday, he…"

Alexander continued talking, and he and Aaron spent the next hour exchanging stories, catching up on the months, no, the _years,_ that they had lost to their inherent differences. By the time they had finished their meal and asked for the check, Aaron was on the verge of tears.

"So, what’s the name of your new roommate?" Alexander asked curiously. "And do I know her?"

_Shit._

"Maria Reynolds," Aaron said, deciding to bite the bullet. Maybe he had changed from when he had taken advantage of Maria. "Soon to become Maria Lewis."

"Maria Reynolds," Alexander whispered. "We’re going to have a lot to catch up on."

 

A couple of days later, Alexander sent a text to Aaron inviting him to a house party that he was going to have with his three friends and his wife.

 _Bring Maria, too,_ he wrote, _if she wants to come. I want to talk to her._

" _Do_ you want to come?" Aaron asked Maria, showing her the phone screen.

Maria paused in contemplation. But then she nodded.

"Take me with you," she said. "I want to talk to him, too."

And so they were at the party, and everything was noisy, and Alexander drifted off to talk to John, Lafayette, and Hercules, and Maria went with Alexander and Eliza into a separate room.

"I’m sorry," Maria said to Eliza instantly. "I’m sorry because when he went back to you and ended the affair, I hated you. And now I know that you don’t deserve that hate that I directed at you. Alexander does."

Alexander merely nodded. "I’m sorry, Maria," he said in what was almost a whisper. "I didn’t know that your husband was abusive, and I made an _awful_ mistake by having that affair with you. And if you don’t forgive me, I understand completely. I don’t even know if _I_ would forgive me. But I just want you to know that I’m so sorry that words cannot say, and I genuinely believe that I’ve changed because of my mistake."

Maria looked at him. Then she nodded.

"I don’t know if I’m ready to forgive you yet," she said. "Maybe someday."

 

The next day, Maria got a call from a number that she showed to Aaron and that he instantly labelled as Alexander’s.

"Why is Alexander calling me?" she asked him.

"I don’t know. Are you going to answer?"

"Probably."

She pressed the Answer button and held the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Maria. Is it okay if I come over?"

"Right now, or in general?"

"Right now. I have something that I’d like to give you."

"…What is it?"

"Remember how you said that you liked pumpkin spice coffee?"

"When did I ever say that?"

"When…never mind. Anyway, I picked up a bag for you."

"Why the hell are you giving me a bag of pumpkin spice coffee?"

"Because you like it. And from what I’ve heard about you, you can use some things that you like."

"Hamilton, I swear to God, if you’re bringing me pumpkin spice coffee as an apology gift, I’m kicking your ass as soon as you step foot inside my front door."

"I respect that. But can I come?"

"Yes. You can come."

He did come. And as soon as he gave her the bag of pumpkin spice coffee beans, she thanked him and then slammed the door into his face.

 

But Alexander kept thinking about her. When it wasn’t coffee, it was candy. When it wasn’t candy, it was something from the market, like a figurine or a shirt, that he "thought that she would enjoy" and bought for her.

And sometimes, it was something homemade. She liked those the most, as she told Alexander the first time that she let him into the house.

"Don’t spend on me," she said. "It makes me feel awkward. _And_ it makes me feel like you’re trying to buy my forgiveness. And you can’t buy my forgiveness. You know that."

"I know that," said Alexander.

He stopped buying her things. Eventually, he started coming just to play cards with her, or a board game, or to invite her to his house to have tea with him and Eliza. She liked tea, and she liked Eliza, as she learned one afternoon while the two women enjoyed a cup together.

And slowly, she realized that she liked Alexander.

He truly had changed. He accepted that he might not earn her forgiveness, and he accepted that if they were truly being honest, he didn’t deserve it. He accepted all of those things, and he still tried his hardest to make her life better, and Maria felt incredibly grateful.

So one day, when he came with a deck of cards, she took his hand and hugged him for the first time since their affair.

Alexander hugged her back, and she could feel him gently cry against her shoulder. Maria patted his back softly and whispered into his ear, "I forgive you."

They pulled apart, and both were smiling.

"Let’s go play cards?" Alexander asked her.

"Let’s go."


	5. Angelica

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year's Eve! This chapter is going to be the end of my 2k16 writing career. I'll try to get the 6th and final chapter out tomorrow or Monday, but I can't make any promises. I'm also starting a multichapter Margelica tomorrow, and I have 2 other WIPs that need to be finished and a TON of other stuff that needs to be written. I will try, though :)

"I got an internship!"

Aaron nearly dropped his phone in shock when he heard the exclaimed announcement from Maria, who was sitting at the table and looking at her phone. Once he recovered himself, he walked up to her and gave her a tight hug.

"Maria, that's  _great!_ " I'm so proud of you! Where is it?"

"With the New York Times. The description says that at first, I'll have simple tasks like bringing coffee and stuff, but eventually they'll let me take notes and set up recording equipment. Aaron, I'm so excited, but I'm also really nervous."

Aaron broke the hug and pulled up a chair next to her. "Why are you nervous?"

"Because I don't know them. What if they don't like me?"

"'Ria, there are always going to be people who don't like you. That's just a fact of life. But another fact of life is that you have something in common with everyone. So I'm sure that you'll make friends there. No, not sure -  _positive._ "

"Really?"

Aaron patted his friend on the shoulder. "Really."

 

"Hey, Maria. Guess what?"

"What?"

Maria was writing something in a notebook, and Aaron was on his laptop typing away.

"The date for our trial's been set for a month from today. That should give me more than enough time to collect the remaining evidence and prepare my case."

"Well, that's good. I can't wait until I can refer to James as my ex-husband who's in prison."

"And  _I_ can't wait until my best friend can consider herself completely safe. Speaking of safe, how was the first day of your internship?"

"How is that speaking of safe?"

"I don't know, actually. I just wanted a way to change the subject. Anyway, how was it?"

Maria winced and looked away. "When they heard my name, none of the other interns wanted to talk to me for some reason. I think they heard about the Hamilton thing, because honestly, at this point, who hasn't?"

Aaron sighed. "I'm sorry it went that way, Maria. I hope some of them get over themselves soon, because all of the abuse that you've faced for something that  _isn't even your fault_ is just goddamn  _ridiculous._ "

Maria smiled softly. "Thanks, Aaron. Honestly, sometimes I feel like you're the only person I can go to with these kinds of things. You're the only person who treats me with respect. You and the Hamiltons. And their friends. And no one else."

"You deserve better," said Aaron stubbornly. "Give me a name, a time, and a place, and I'll fight each and every single one of them."

"There's, like, a hundred, Aaron."

"Are you doubting my abilities? Do you want to fight me, too?"

"Let's go." Maria jokingly put her fists up, and Aaron laughed.

"After dinner. I'm  _starving,_ and I picked up a frozen pizza from the store. Can't pass it up for simple violence."

 

"Aaron, someone called me a slut at work today, but Laila stood up for me and called him out and also apologized for his behavior in front of me. And also she invited me for drinks with her friends on Saturday. Isn't that  _great?_ "

"Aaron, today Riley brought in cookies for all of their friends, and they brought a batch to my desk too. And when I asked them why, because we don't talk much, they said that they don't know me that well, but they would like to get to know me better. I agree, actually. Riley's a great person, and I want to be friends with them really badly."

"Aaron, Hope told me that I'm a good worker and a good person, and that honestly made the rest of my day. I love her so much."

Every day, Maria came home with more and more stories about her co-workers, who seemed to be quickly crossing over into her friends. Her eyes lit up with happiness every time she described Riley's takedown of a transphobic intern, or Laila's delicious chocolate cake that she shared with the office, or Emma's quilt project, for which she allowed everyone in the office to bring in a square. This was a special kind of happiness, the kind that came only from being surrounded by genuine friends, and Aaron was more happy for her than he would have ever imagined possible.

"Aaron, tomorrow Governor Schuyler is coming from Albany, and I get to be in the room taking notes while our reporters do the interview. I'm so excited, I did research on her, and she seems like the type of person that I'd like. Not that we'll ever talk, but..."

"I know Angelica Schuyler." Aaron picked up where she trailed off. "If you like feminists, people who don't take crap from anyone, and smart women, then you'll  _love_ her."

"I think I will, then."

And she did. The next day, she came in with a stack of papers in her hand, eyes alight as she practically hopped over to Aaron.

"Can you braid my hair? Hope gave me a tutorial for a cute style she thought I'd like, but I can't do my own."

"Of course. Sit down right there, I'll bring a brush and some hairties."

When he came back, Maria began talking a mile a minute as she held up a few of the papers that she had brought in.

"These are the notes that I took during the interview, and this is a piece of paper that I had that Ms. Schuyler left an autograph on. She actually saw me looking at her, and she offered. It's like she read my mind, honestly, Aaron. I don't think I would have been brave enough to approach her otherwise. And I took a selfie on my phone, too, which was after the interview when we made some small talk about political issues and our jobs and things like that. She's really smart, and nice, and pretty too, and I think I have a crush-"

"Wait,  _what?_ "

Maria shuddered in her seat. "I forgot to tell you, I'm bisexual.  _Please_ don't kick me out, I promise I won't hit on anyone or do anything, you can send me to conversion therapy if you want, but  _please_ don't kick me out, please, please, please-"

Her eyes were filled with tears as she turned around and begged.

"What? No. I'm not kicking you out, I was just surprised is all. I promise I'm not homophobic or anything. Maria, it's okay, I promise. I'm sorry I made you scared, I promise it's okay."

Maria took a deep breath and looked down at her hands. "Okay. Thank you. It's just that James was  _super_ homophobic, so I always had to change who I was around him. I'm kind of paranoid because of that."

"James is far away," Aaron promised, placing a hand on hers, "and he can't hurt you any more. I promise you that. It's okay. You're safe with me."

"I'm safe," Maria repeated, leaning her head against Aaron's chest.

Aaron wrapped his arms around her from behind and stroked her shoulder softly. "You're safe."


	6. The Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this has been fun. Thanks so much for sticking with me through this amazing journey of the second multi-chapter fic that I've ever finished in my life.  
> Sorry for the short chapter, but it was only when I got to this that I realized that I didn't actually know how divorce trials worked, so I decided to just add a short little cliche ending and have all of the important action happen off-screen.

**Months later...**

"Maria," said Aaron, catching her attention away from her phone. He didn't need to ask what he was doing, because judging by the way she was smiling every time it buzzed, he already knew.

"What is it?"

"I just got the trial's ruling. You're officially Maria Lewis, and James Reynolds is your ex-husband who's in prison. We won."

Maria let out a small squeal, ran up to him, and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so proud of us," she whisper-shouted into his ear. "We  _won._ "

" _And_ I got the best life that I could ever possibly imagine out of it," Aaron whispered back. "Thank you, Maria. Thank you so much."

"Anything for my best friend."

Just a few weeks ago, it would have been  _only_ friend, and just a few months ago, it would have been "person I don't know at all." But now, they were closer than either of them could have possibly imagined, closer in a way that far surpassed friendship.

And Aaron couldn't have been more grateful for that.


End file.
